The pioneer Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State and former Nigerian Envoy to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Alhaji Hassan Jika Ardo, has dismissed speculations that the State Governor Agbu Kefas will have an automatic governorship ticket of the party upon anticipated defection from the embattled People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Ardo, who said this in an interview with our correspondent, said that he is aware of moves by the governor to abandon the PDP and join the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said that the APC as a party is open to all who want to join the party but insists that those coming in should not think that they can come and displace the loyal members who built the party in the state over the years.

“I can confirm that the governor is making moves to join the APC, and we are all aware of that. It is actually not a secret, and we in the APC are not against that. However, you know that the Governor has performed poorly in his first two years in office, and so he is not bringing anything tangible to the table. In fact, they are political liabilities. What value are they bringing to the table? They have lost followership, and people have lost confidence in them.

“What everyone needs to understand is that the APC will follow due process in deciding who will be the flag bearers. There will be no automatic ticket for the governor or any other person. We would conduct our primaries, and anyone who wins will enjoy our support,” Ardo stated.

Ardo said that he commends the governor for his efforts in restoring security in most parts of the state but maintained that, besides security, the governor has nothing to show for the huge allocation that has accrued to the state for the last two years.

“Apart from security, the governor is a total failure. His flagship free education scheme is a mess. Almost two years down the line, there are no school uniforms yet, no sandals, students are sitting on bare floors in classes to study. Classes are overpopulated. That is how bad the situation is.

“As we speak, the governor has not initiated and completed any project. No roads, just nothing. Instead, he is busy remodelling and renaming projects. It is very unfortunate. I urge Tarabans to open their eyes and leave sentiments aside to reclaim their destiny. Governor Kefas simply does not have what it takes to rule Taraba, or he has chosen to just loot the state and go away,” he said. (Daily Sun)